Not Too Late
by brezo-1816
Summary: Scott has to rescue an IR agent he recently had a fling with. Words and flashbacks force them to think about their feelings and realise they are in love. But is it too late?
1. Distant Memories

Hello, while continuing with my other Thunderbirds fic, 'Rescue Me', I was inspired to start writing this too. I hope you like it. I will write more chapters if people ask for them.

Please review!

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Keira Reynolds handed in her ticket at the information desk and the clerk directed her to the correct platform. Looking around she noticed that the London Underground Railway was reasonably busy today. She might be a little late to Lady Penelope's estate after all. Looking around for unwelcome eyes she moved to a corner where she wouldn't be noticed and lifted her wrist watch.

"This is International Rescue agent 175 calling Lady Penelope." Keira spoke softly with a subtle English accent.

"Lady Penelope speaking, I was expecting you fifteen minutes ago Keira, is something wrong?" Penny replied in a not so subtle English accent.

"I'm afraid I'm going to be a little late Penny but I thought I'd let you know the Mexican authorities have arrested three people in connection with the warehouse fire, it appears you were right: it wasn't an accident." She spoke grimly into the communication device while looking around to check she wasn't being watched.

"I was afraid that may have been the case," Penny sighed, "Alright Keira I'll let Jeff and the boys know…including Scott…" She smiled and Keira just groaned.

"Have you spoken to him recently? Jeff tells me you haven't been visiting that much anymore …" The blonde lady inquired innocently. Keira hissed at her friend.

"I keep telling you my visits were strictly **business**, there is no 'me and Scott'." The brunette insisted but Penny wasn't convinced.

"That doesn't change the fact that you **want** there to be a 'you and Scott', you know as well as I do that there has been plenty of romantic interaction between you two…"

"I don't want to talk about it Penny! There was no 'me and Scott' and there never will be! Besides this line should not be used for silly things like that!" Keira replied in a hostile tone, earning herself a few odd looks.

"Of course Keira, I'm sorry," Penny responded, a little shocked at her friend's sudden outburst, "I'll see you later." She cut the communication link and began to open another.

"Lady Penelope calling Tracy Island." She spoke clearly to the video screen that appeared from behind a portrait in her sitting room.

"Hi Penny, how are you?" Jeff Tracy smiled warmly at her.

"I'm very well thank you Jeff, how are the boys?" She smiled back and got herself settled on the sofa for a long chat.

"Virgil has just finished a new piece he's been writing for the piano, I swear if it's possible that boy just keeps getting better and better at playing that thing." Jeff laughed as he heard his middle son quietly playing his new song at the other side of the room.

"I'm sure he is, many people would travel thousands of miles to listen if they knew of his talent." In the corner of his eye Jeff could see Virgil blushing at their friend's compliment, "Jeff I called to pass on information from Agent 175, unfortunately the Mexican warehouse fire wasn't an accident, three suspects have already been arrested."

"Ok Penny, thank Keira for me, how is she doing by the way?" Jeff inquired. The young IR agent had made frequent visits to the island after he hired her as a project manager for Tracy Industries construction work in London. But now that the building was complete she didn't need to visit very often despite the fact that she and Scott had obviously fallen for each other. Jeff may not have been quick to notice these things usually but even he could see that.

"I'll get her to call you herself in a little while; she is coming here for tea and to discuss business…" Penny replied.

"Oh I see…" Jeff didn't buy it for a second, "And her relationship with Scott obviously counts as 'business' right?" He immediately stopped when he saw the worry on Penny's face.

"Does he talk about her at all?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"He used to talk about her to me, Virgil and John all the time but now he doesn't mention her at all and if anyone else does then he goes silent."

"Do you think they had an argument or something? Because, by the sound of it, Scott is behaving the same way as Keira at the moment, she doesn't even want to hear his name and is acting like she never felt anything for him which I know isn't true." She and Jeff both sat in silence for a moment, neither of them knew what to do in this situation.

"Well I hope they can sort it out between them…Penny." He said with a warm but warning tone, "They won't appreciate you interfering." Penny pretended to look insulted.

"Ladies do not **interfere**, they **arrange**."…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Keira sat back in her chair on the platform. Why did even the mention of his name cut into her so badly? As she rested her head on the back of the chair her mind drifted to memories of happy times with him…

_She could still see __the sun setting softly on the horizon and the orange glow seemed to illuminate his eyes. Keira had to hide the blush that came to her cheeks. Starting a conversation seemed the best way to distract herself._

"_So what was your favourite photograph?" She tried to catch him out, expecting the modern action man to have paid no attention to the photography exhibition at all._

"_Actually I quite liked the New York skyline print, the way the photographer caught the light was very effective," He laughed as her eyes widened in surprise, "Let me guess, you didn't expect me to pay any attention to that show did you?" The conversation was doing nothing to help her blushing problem._

"_Scott Tracy appreciating art? Virgil will be impressed!" She laughed nervously._

"_No way, you can't tell him anything! If he finds out then he'll drag me to every single art exhibition on the planet." He smiled softly while looking at the ground._

"_You're not the air-head, adrenaline fuelled, fly-boy that your brothers make you out to be, are you?" He looked straight ahead for a while, lost in thought._

_They had reached the beach now and were walking bare-foot along the sand. The rest of Cape Town lay quietly behind them._

"_I have to be strong and able…I'm the IR Field Commander and second-in-charge at Tracy Industries…I guess I just don't have time to appreciate things like art as much as Virgil does…" He seemed so sincere and Keira suddenly realised she cared a great deal for the ex-USAF pilot._

"_Alan has his racing and endless pranks, Gordon has his swimming and Virgil has his art and music…what do you do to unwind?" She asked him, feeling the sudden urge to get to know more about him._

"_When I'm back on the island sometimes I go for a long run along the beach, just me alone with my thoughts."_

"_You prefer being by yourself?"_

"_I don't have a choice, my work…my life, it keeps me alone." At the time, Keira didn't know why her heart suddenly ached so much._

_They kept walking for a while until they reached the pier. The sun was almost gone but the last few rays managed to catch the surface of the water and leave it sparkling. Scott looked down and noticed Keira staring in awe at the beautiful scene. A smile crept across his face again and he took her hand._

"_Let's go and see it from the end of the pier." He suggested. She smiled up at him and they ran up the pier, hand in hand. Once they reached the end Scott made to let go of her hand but she held it tightly and looked at him._

"_You don't have to be alone, you know," She said softly, "Life…it's so much more beautiful when you share it with people…like your brothers and your father…" She saw Scott smile at the thought of his family and looked out at the view._

"_Virgil would love this." He breathed._

"_I'm sure even Alan would appreciate this." She looked at Scott again and found his gaze on her._

"_You probably should have brought Virgil instead of me; he could paint a picture of it for you…"_

"_Yes but if he was here instead then I wouldn't have the memory of seeing it with you…and that's what matters most to me…" She confessed and then blushed when she realised what she had said. To her surprise, Scott looked genuinely happy._

"_You really mean that?" He asked hesitantly. Seeing as he now knew how she felt and she had nothing to lose, Keira decided to answer his question. She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek. She couldn't hold back a quiet laugh when she saw him blushing. But she certainly didn't expect what came next._

_He moved closer and kissed her lips gently and affectionately. At that moment Keira felt like she was going to melt. She didn't pull back and neither did he. Gradually the kiss became more passionate. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. She could feel the heat of his body against hers._

_Eventually they had to pull away for air, both with nervous smiles on their faces. It was dark now, the sun was gone and the lights on the pier illuminated the surrounding water._

"_I wish we didn't have to leave tomorrow." She sighed. They had originally come to see Tracy Industries executives who lived here but now that was all finished and this was their last night in Cape Town._

"_Me neither." He agreed, "But I'm glad we came." She looked at him and gave him a gentle smile._

"_Me too."_

She couldn't help smiling at that wonderful memory but the feelings of sadness and regret tugged at her heart.

Further down the tunnel, nobody could see the three hooded figures who were on the track…

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**Want more chapters? Please review and let me know... also, if you are a Super Sentai fan then please check out my new fic which you can find on my profile Thanks :-)**


	2. Conflicting Opinions

Ok here's chapter 2, hope you like it, please review!

Fran Lavery, Juud18 and Eternal Density - Thanks for the reviews, please keep reviewing!

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Keira looked at the notice on the railway platform. Apparently the tunnel was just opening again today after three days of maintenance work. She shrugged her shoulders and continued drinking her coffee. Her train wasn't due for another hour yet so she could relax for a little while.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The alarm sounded throughout Tracy Island, signalling that someone had made an emergency call to International Rescue. The four boys and Jeff entered the control room, swiftly followed by Brains and Fermat. John was waiting for them via video-link.

"What's happening, John?" Jeff asked his second eldest son.

"Japan, one of the smaller volcanoes near Mount Fuji has erupted, there's a village nearby," The blonde-haired Thunderbird explained, "The flow of lava has cut them off from all the main transport routes, making it impossible for the local rescue services to evacuate them, they're not in danger at the moment but authorities are worried they soon will be if there is a second eruption."

"Ok boys, Thunderbirds are go!" Jeff confirmed as Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan stepped into the space behind their portraits and were taken to their associated silos.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Thunderbird 1 was soon in flight and fifteen minutes away from the danger zone. Scott sat back in the pilot seat and drifted into thought.

Jeff had told him that Keira was visiting Penny and it had brought back all sorts of memories into his mind, some of which he thought he'd lost.

He smirked as he remembered when his family had first met Keira when she visited Tracy Island. John, Virgil, Gordon and even Alan all seemed to like her. For Scott it wasn't as straightforward…

_When she walked into the room he'd be lying if he said she didn't take his breath away. She was slim, elegant and so beautiful. Her long brown hair reached just below her shoulder blades, her eyes seem to capture the deepness and mystery of the ocean that surrounded them and her smile…it was as if her smile could heal even the deepest wounds. It had a warmth and sincerity that captured your heart._

"_Boys, I'd like you to meet Keira Renolds, International Rescue's newest agent." Scott watched as each of his brothers stepped forward and greeted her warmly. When it came to his turn she turned around to look at him and froze for the briefest moment, as if in a trance. Quickly breaking out of it she extended a cool and formal hand._

"_Nice to meet you." Keira said calmly. A little put out by her warmness to his brothers and then her cool demeanour towards him, he took her hand shook it lightly and gave a curt nod. Sensing the sudden tension in the room, Virgil and Gordon quickly stepped forward and offered to give Keira a tour of the island before she got to work with Jeff. She accepted graciously, looking at Scott one more time before following them out of the room._

_Later on in the early evening, everyone was outside by the pool, enjoying the last remaining orange glows of the setting sun. Scott and John were having a heated debate._

"_They are not the best, Scott! They are very, very, very good but there are better." John insisted._

"_Like who? Who could possibly beat the USAF Blue Angels when it comes to stunt flying? I bet you can't even name a squadron!" Scott insisted, confident he'd won the argument. John looked around for help and saw Keira sitting on a sun bed chatting with Tintin._

"_Keira! Do you watch stunt flying? Ever seen the Blue Angels perform?" She nodded in reply, "Are they the best in the business?" John asked her. She sat thinking for a moment and John was worried she might agree with Scott. Maybe if she had it would have made things easier…_

"_The Red Arrows are better." She answered honestly. John winced. He was brave to argue with Scott but not brave enough to say that._

"…_what?" Scott asked slowly in a low tone. Keira replied without hesitation._

"_I've seen the USAF Blue Angels fly and I've seen the British RAF Red Arrows fly and I think the Red Arrows are better." She told him without fear. John and Tintin looked at each other with knowing expressions. This was going to get ugly._

"_How the hell are the Red Arrows better than the Blue Angels? The Red Arrows are a load of __**pansies**__ who take off and think a bit of smoke with some __**simple**__ tricks will impress the crowd." Scott responded in an annoyed voice. John looked at Keira and winced again. She had not taken that remark well._

"_Oh? __**Simple**__ tricks? Then what does that say about your precious Blue Angels who are too chicken to even __**attempt**__ those '__**simple**__ tricks'?" Tintin grinned. This woman could definitely hold her own against Scott._

"_Chicken? __**How**__ are fifteen pilots flying __F/A-18A & F/A-18B Hornet__s, in tight formations, being chicken? We have a far more advanced plane than you." Scott stated rather arrogantly. If Keira wasn't annoyed with him before then she certainly was now._

"_Yes, a far more advanced plane that completely lacks in manoverability! I'd love to see the Blue Angels try to do a nine plane formation in BAE Hawks! They'd crash into each other!" Keira retaliated, "Hawks allow RAF pilots to display the skill and daring that USAF pilots lack." Tintin flinched. That last comment had plenty of bite and she knew it would have hurt Scott. She turned to look at the eldest Tracy and bit her lip when she saw his face._

_Scott looked like he had just been slapped._

_He stood up and, without saying a word, walked back inside, hurt and defeated. Surprised by the sudden retreat, Keira looked at John for an explanation. The blonde Tracy reluctantly explained._

"_Before he became a Thunderbird, Scott was a pilot in the USAF…he was decorated for valour." He told her. Keira moaned with guilt and frustration and hung her head in her hands. That must have hurt. She didn't want to hurt him. She quickly got up and ran inside to find him. She caught up with him just before he left the lounge._

"_Scott, I'm sorry!" She called to him. Scott spun round and glared at her._

"_Why?! Because you know I was a USAF pilot now?! That doesn't change your opinion does it?! You still think we have no skill or daring!" He snapped back, trying and failing to hide the hurt in his voice._

"_I don't think that, I was just angry at what you said." She sighed. Scott's expression of anger softened a little and was replaced with curiousity._

"_Why are you so bothered about what I said? Why did you take it so personally?" He inquired. Keira initially wanted to avoid answering but knew he wasn't going to let it drop._

"'_Pansies'…that's what a US reporter said when he saw the Red Arrows fly in Belgium…his article was published all over America and reached Europe too…my elder brother was very upset by it…he was serving three years with the Red Arrows at the time…" Scott mentally kicked himself for being so unsensitive._

"_Keira, I swear I never saw that article, it's just the first word that came to my head, and I don't think that about the Red Arrows, they're so popular internationally, so much that sometimes I think people don't appreciate other squadrons, like the Blue Angels…please believe me, I never meant to cause any insult, I'm sorry." He almost pleaded. She smiled softly at him and he got this weird fluttering feeling in his chest._

"_It's alright, I believe you……we haven't got off to a very good start, have we?" She smiled again and he got that weird feeling again._

"_Can I make up for it?" He answered without thinking or hesitating. "Maybe I should go and ask Brains about it later." He thought to himself in regards to the fluttering in his chest._

"_I'd like that." She answered and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. They walked further into the house, in no particular direction, but chatting and smiling as they went…_

"International Rescue and Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbird 1, approaching danger zone, eta 1.3 minutes."

"Ok Scott, be with you in seventeen minutes." Virgil responded immediately.

"How's it looking Scott?" Jeff asked him from base.

"It's looking ok, Dad," Scott assessed once he reached the danger zone, "The lava flow isn't too close and the village is very small, evacuation shouldn't take long."

"Ok son, report back once the rescue is complete."

"F.A.B."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Chester, will you hurry up?!" The young man on the tracks hissed. He knew they should have got the work done sooner and had left it dangerously late. He and his two companions were dressed in constuction workers clothes and had fake I.Ds that allowed them to access the tracks of the London Underground. Chester was currently dislodging the remaining pieces of track that were left in the section they had been paid to sabotauge.

"Mingo will you quit panicking, three more minute and I'm done, besides, the first train doesn't leave for another fifteen minutes." The well built man replied gruffly.

"How the hell can you be so bloody calm?" Mingo snapped at him, "You do realise if we stuff this up then we're all dead men, he doesn't tolerate failure!" The third man groaned in annoyance.

"Why are we working for that guy anyway?" He moaned. This just irritated Mingo further.

"**Because**, Eric, Mr Wonderful here," He gestured towards Chester, "Thought it would pay nicely to work with a guy as dodgy and notorious as him."

"I didn't see either of you complaining when we were offered $20k each for the job, now quit moaning and help me get this last bit off." The three of them worked together to pull away the last piece of track.

"Dude…how many people are gonna be on that train? I mean…there's no way it's gonna survive this…" Eric looked over the track with a quietly nagging guilt.

"Too late to feel bad now, c'mon, let's get out of here, get our money and then get out of this damn city." Mingo ranted. With one last look over the mess they'd created, Eric quickly followed his two companions through the exit away from the tunnel.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jeff checked the reports over and over again. He hadn't misread them. Several pieces of equipment and over $500k were missing from his Tracy Industries plant in Osnabruck, Germany. According to the reports more and more had gone missing gradually over the last month. He immediately opened a communication link.

"Hello again Jeff." Lady Penelope greeted him.

"Hi Penny, I have a little problem I need to discuss with you…" He quickly filled her in on his discovery.

"What do you want me to do, Jeff?" She asked him while trying to hide the excitement. Penny always enjoyed doing a bit of detective work.

"I want you to try and find out what's going on, if I try to investigate myself I fear the people in question may take what they already have and run…seeing as Keira is going to be with you take her as well, she might have some insight as to what they're using the equipment for and what they might try to take next." He decided.

"Very well Jeff, I'll report back as soon as I find anything." Penny hung up and Jeff leaned back in his chair, wondering how the rescue was going.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Get the train now?" Keira was surprised, she hadn't been expecting to leave for another fourty minutes.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I know it's sudden but Jeff wants us to do some investigation work in Germany, we can take FAB 1 as soon as you arrive, is the track open yet?" Penny inquired. Keira looked at the television screen with the train times on it.

"The first train leaves in ten minutes, I can get that one if you like?" She talked back into the watch, again trying to stay unnoticed.

"If you could, Keria, that would be wonderful, I've already packed some things for you, you can freshen up when you get here and then we'll be off, alright?" Penny answered.

"Alright that's fine, see you soon." Keira hung up and hurried to the ticket desk to exchange her ticket for the train leaving in eight minutes…

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**Liked that chapter? Please review, I love reviews! Chapter 3 coming soon...**


	3. Underground Disaster

I'm sorry it has taken so long to update this story. My GCSEs, starting my A-Levels and a whole load of other stuff had not given me enough time to write untill about a month ago so I've been updating my fics one at a time.

Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this chapter. Please keep reviewing.

a/n - It would be just my luck that the USAF show team are the 'Thunderbirds' wouldn't it? Well, I guess I can't really change it now. Sorry about that.

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"All done?" asked Scott as Virgil walked towards him. The younger man nodded. 

"Yeah, the people have been dropped off at a warehouse the authorities are using as a temporary shelter." Scott looked behind him to see Gordon and Alan walking up.

"Okay, I don't think there's anything else we can do here, I'll announce our departure to the fire chief and see you boys back at base." Virgil nodded and headed towards Thunderbird 2. Gordon and Alan followed him.

Once he was inside the cockpit of Thunderbird 1, Scott contacted Tracy Island.

"Thunderbird 1 to Tracy Island, rescue complete, casualties zero, returning to base."

"Good work Scott," his father replied, "See you back home."

"F.A.B."

…

Keira sat quietly on her seat inside the second carriage and looked around. It wasn't particularly crowded but there were people standing. She looked across to the left and saw a young couple. The man had his arms around the woman, who was admiring the ring on her finger. Keira smiled at the happy pair but then felt the familiar aching at her own missed opportunities.

_Rearranging the papers in her hands seemed the best way to avoid his gaze._

"_So you won't be coming back?" he asked quietly, as if he couldn't believe the words he was speaking._

"_I will, just not very often…there's no need now, the construction is finished, I have to look for other projects."_

"_No need? ...what about Alan and Gordon? You're like a big sister to them…Dad and Virgil will miss you too……heck even John will miss you……and……I'll miss you…I'll miss you terribly, Keira……why d you have to go so soon?"_

_She really didn't want to answer. Every word would feel like a knife in the heart. She gathered up the papers and put them in her bag. Just as she was about to walk away Scott walked forward so he was merely inches from her._

"_Please tell me…did something happen? Did we do some thing wrong? Did__** I**__ do something wrong?"_

"_No of course not…"_

"_Do you not like it here anymore? Are you bored here? Do we irritate you?"_

"_No!" she cried, tears building in her eyes, her voice shaking._

"_Then why are you leaving?"_

"_Because it hurts to stay!" She cried. He looked stunned._

"_It hurts to stay here with you…knowing that everyday is just a holiday, just a temporary bliss that can't last…" she explained in barely a whisper._

"_But…why can't it last?"_

"_Because you're a Thunderbird, that has to be your first priority…and I have to work, my work and your work…it takes us everywhere…so we can't be together…not properly…being here with you is like being in a dream…but dreams can't last forever…"_

"_We could make it work." He said stubbornly._

"_Scott, we have to live in the real world…and in the real world this can't work…I'm sorry." She walked away before he could see the tears falling from her eyes, unaware of the lonely tear falling from his._

Keira wiped away the warm tear that escaped from her eye. That was months ago, why should she cry about it now?

Her thoughts were broken as she heard the train engine come to life. The young couple were laughing, an old man sitting one seat down from her had taken out a newspaper and a middle aged man with braided hair was listening to an i-pod.

The train began moving. Keira looked at the ground, determined not to think about him.

Barely two minutes later, just as the train was reaching full speed, the journey provided a distraction of its own…

The passengers cried out and brought their hands to their ears as a huge crashing sound followed by a terrible screech filled the train. Standing passengers were thrown to the ground. Cries and screams filled the air as the train began to violently shake. Keira looked ahead and saw sparks flying everywhere. She and most of the passengers were all thrown off their seats when the carriage crashed into the wall. The lights went out and more cries could be heard as the world plunged into darkness…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Could you send me a list of the particular parts of equipment that were stolen, then perhaps Keira can identify what they are using them for and what they may plan to take next." Penny requested over the video link. Jeff nodded.

"Well, I'll prin-" he was cut off by the sound of an emergency call, "Hold on Penny, I'm getting a call from John." Jeff pressed a button on the computer and John's face appeared on the other monitor.

"What's up John?"

"There's been a large crash in the London Underground." John informed his dad. Jeff didn't notice Penny go deathly pale.

"How many casualties?"

"They're not sure yet, fatalities are seventeen and rising, all four carriages of the train have been affected and the crash has weakened the walls of the tunnel, with some sections threatening to collapse on top of the train."

"How far is the train from the nearest stations?" Virgil asked as he and the other Tracy sons walked into the control room.

"Right in the middle between two stations I'm afraid."

"John…" Penny called weakly, the boys were shocked to hear her so worried, "…what was the number of the train?" The boys stood behind their father and looked at the two monitors. John was looking at another screen on Thunderbird 5.

"…052." he answered. Penny looked ready to faint.

"Oh God, Jeff……" She whispered. The boys looked at Jeff, who had also gone quite pale.

"What is it?" Gordon asked. Jeff turned to his eldest.

"Scott…Keira is on that train." The boys turned to look at their eldest brother who looked like someone had just stabbed him. Virgil turned back to John.

"John, send a signal to Keira's wrist com, if she returns the signal then at least we know she's alive." John nodded at his brother's logical thinking. He sent out the signal.

"Okay boys, get going, John will send you the coordinates when you're in the air…Scott?" Scott looked at his dad, "Are you going to be okay?" He nodded.

"Those people need us, all of us, I have to keep a clear head." Jeff felt overwhelming pride in his eldest son. He watched them walk to their portraits. Once they were all ready he said the key words.

"Thunderbirds are go!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Scott looked away from the front view to his controls. A beeping announced his brother's transmission.

"Calling Thunderbirds 1, 2 and base from Thunderbird 5, Keira returned the signal, she's alive!"

Scott let out a huge sigh of relief.

"What if she's badly injured?" Alan asked, the worry for the woman, who was practically his big sister, was clear in voice, "What if we're too late-"

"That's not gonna happen!" Scott cut in. _I won't let it happen…_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Keira let her wrist drop after sending the signal. She hoped John had received it. The watch had received quite a battering during the crash and was not in the best of shape. Attempts to actually make contact with John had failed.

She looked around, barely able to see anything through the dim light. Bodies littered the place, some moving slightly but many completely still. Those who were awake were crying out, calling for others or for God to save them from this terrifying danger. There was debris everywhere, panels had fallen everywhere and some people were pinned underneath them. Posts and some bricks had fallen from the roof and the occasionally loud groan told Keira that the surrounding walls were very unstable.

Her vision blurred occasionally and an ache on the back of her head made her reach up to touch it. When she brought it back down, even in the dim light, she could see there was blood on her fingertips.

"You alright love?" She looked up to see the old man who had been reading the newspaper was facing her. There was a gash on his forehead and the area around his left eye looked very swollen.

"I'm okay, I've just hit my head that's all…what about you?" she asked croakily, coughing forcing her to stop.

"Sounds like you're not as okay as you think love, as for me I just fell on my face but most of the panels missed me, I'm alright."

"Sounds like the people out there aren't." she replied as she stood up.

"Where you going love?" She stood up straight and looked around.

"I'm going to see what I can do to help until the emergency services get here, will you help me?" He looked her in the eye with a curious look.

"What's your name love?"

"Keira."

"Well Keira, you're a brave lass, my name is Alf, and I'll help you as much as I can." She smiled her thanks and they both moved through the panels and began talking to the injured…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbird 1, approaching danger zone, there's a large park nearby that we can use to land, I've contacted the British police and they're going to help unload the equipment."

"F.A.B Scott, how's it looking down there?" Virgil asked from Thunderbird 2.

"The police have sectioned off the entrances to the stations but there are ambulances, paramedics and people on stretchers everywhere, it's going to take time clearing a path for the Thunderizer and cutting equipment."

"Okay, e.t.a now seven minutes, see what you can do to clear the path, Brains has attached more wheels to the cutting equipment so as long as the path is clear we should be able to drive them down easily."

"F.A.B." Scott swallowed hard and prepared to land Thunderbird 1. One last call needed to be made.

"Thunderbird 1 calling Thunderbird 5, John have you made contact with Keira yet?"

"No, I think her wrist com is damaged, all I get is static."

"Okay, keep trying, I'm going down now."

"F.A.B."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Keira coughed violently, so much that she had to steady herself. Alf was immediately by her side.

"You should rest love; you're doing yourself more harm." Keira didn't speak, she just shook her head. Reluctantly, Alf returned to the other passengers. Keira wanted to shield her ears to block out the sobs of the young woman.

The couple that Keira had seen before the crash and been pulled apart by the force of the impact. A large panel had fallen on top of the man. The others had desperately tried to free him but were too late. He died with his young fiancé crying beside him.

Now her sobs filled the carriage. Keira wanted to comfort her but it was taking all of her self-control to not break down herself. All she could do was give the woman's shoulder an occasional squeeze or say a few soothing words, usually reassurance that they would be out of there soon.

Keira's thoughts were broken by a crackling voice. Because of the loud groaning of the roof Keira was the only one who could hear it.

She listened carefully and almost wept with relief when she realised who it was…

It was John. They knew she was here. The Thunderbirds were coming…

…

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**The Thunderbirds are on their way...but will it be that easy? Chapter 4 coming soon!**


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